Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1887-12-17

LIN
awaiting the completion Of the arrange
ments for the military murder. The foot
chains had not been removed from An
drews, and as he walked up into his room
with the short, hating step that they re-
quired, the clanking was horrible. Not
very much was said in these few sad
moments. Andrews did speak i'll his
quiet way of the better life. and his wish
to meet all his comrades in heaven. His
words could not fail Of making q deep
impression, though hope of vengeance for
the coming deed would have been sweeter
to the poor boys than almost Il kind of
a prospect beyond the grave. But soon a
body OF strange soldiers came up to the
building. Their commander entered and
asked Andrews in Il very respectful tone
if he was ready now. The latter answered
in the affirmative, and then babe Good
by to the comrades who had passed
through so many dangers with him.
The procession moved out Peachtree
street. the most fashionable and beautiful
street of Atlanta, and continued for about
two miles from the depot. On the way,
the provost marshal asked Rev. w. j.
Scott, q Methodist clergyman, to accom-
pany them and act as chaplain. He
almost refused, but Andrews spoke in his
winning. courteous manner, saying, 81
would be glad to have You go, SIR" Such
an appeal Scott could not resist, and at
tended him to the last, writing many
years after his recollection Of the affair.
a great crowd. in addition to the strong
guard, went along, but there appears to
have been no unseemly taunts or disorder.
To Mr.. Scott Andrews gave substantially
the same account Of the enterprise that
has already been given, colored II little by
the fact that he did not wish even in
death to say n word that might in any
way injurc those comrades who had been
SO true to him.
No element Of pathos in the terrible
scene was lacking. 4 few scores of yards
from the road, in a little valley, a scat
fold was erected. There were thin woods
around, and night was coming on a
rope circle fenced Off the spectators to q
respectful distance. Mr.. Scott spoke the
words that he judged fitting; Rev. Mr..
Conycrs led in prayer: Rev. Mr.. Connor
administered some religious counsel to
the patient prisoner, who probably
thought that all the sins of which lie re-
pented We're less than the sin OF rebellion
Of which they were guilty. Nocotlin was
provided, but a fcw hundred feet away
the grave WAS already open. The signal
was given, and the not bung-
ling of an execution added new horrors.
The cotton rope stretched so that the
slacklcd feet reached the ground. From
motives of humanity the ground was
sllovcled away, and the soul liberated.
The pathos of this death is indescrib-
able. The drop falls and the mere physi-
al agony is o % over. The body, weak
ned by the last terrible STRUGGLE for life
,o>.ny nearu Ill rar away F1emingsburg-
cannot long resist. Then the corpse is
taken down; the horror bound spectators
still linger. The poor remains Of a man
OF superb beauty and princely endowments
are carried to the shallow grave on Il little
hill crest, and there, near a large stone.
(which may mark the grave, ii any friend
ever wants to know where it is" us Il
spectator charitably said, lie is laid to
rest. There is no shroud. The only
grave clothes are the tattered garments
left from the last sad race for life. Can
the reader conceive anything more pitiful
thar the view presented Just before the
ubIilb CiItl 10 IuIONH Oh lIlc tOlu, up
turned face? The busy brain, from which
came daring enterprises and cool action,
is quiet forever. The limbs that tOilcl SO
far Tor patriotism, fame, perhaps for ven
gcancc, and at last for life, labor no more.
The heart so true to country and com
rades, SO faithful under forms of false
hood, is stilled. The utmost depths of
adversely have been sounded, and the
nIInInIv nnr fnIInh Xiv, ~, p,,oro Ex,n,, Elm
welded shackels, which seem to bind III
tho grave, have lost their power. II i!
well that man has one refuge from every
earthly misfortune; ana as evening gath
cred ITS shadows over the little heap of
freshly turned earth in the woOd-n spot
long unrecOgniZcd-was he not better of
than the comrades from whom he had
just parted, or those more distant, whose
fate was trembling in the balance at
Knoxville?
Some days or weeks after, the compile
ton Of this mournful tragedy u man came
to the old depot at Stevenson, Ala, which
was then used as n storehousc by the
Fedcrals. He seemed to be q stranger,
and went cautiously to Scrgt. William
Hunter Myers, of Company X, Thirty
third Ohio, and asked TO speak with him
alone. Myers at once ass"nted and took
him into the room. The man looked to
sec that no one was near the door or win
dows, and then said: II have papers in
my possession which would cost me my
life if the Confcderatcs should discover
them on me. want to get clear of them"
Myers took the papers and glanced over
them, finding the letter of Andrews to his
mother and his "will," already quoted.
He was perfectly familiar with our cxpc-
ditiOn, belonging to the same company rs
PARROT. This made it easy for him to
recognize the great interest Of the papers,
for up to this time only scattered and
partial information had been brought
through the lines. On inquiry the man
said he was Il fireman on the Georgia
State railroad, and that he had been EN-
ploycd for several years in that capacity.
His native place, however, vas Hagers-
town, Nd, and he had stood the ways Of
the rebels as long as he could, and was
now anxious to get home. Myers wanted
to know how he came in possession of the
papers, but he declared that he dared not
tell. Finding that he had nothing more
to say, he was sent under guard to Hunts
vile, from which place it was easy for
him to reach his old home; and the papers
also, after considerable detention, arrived
at their destination.
The account of the escape and recap
ture Of Andrews was published in The
Cincinnati Commercial, about the 10th of
June, and reached the sister Of Miss Lay
ton, with whom that lady then made her
home. As she was already in deep dis
trcss because of Andrews long delay
without any message, they did not dare to
tell her the pcrilous situation in which her
lover was placed. But near the end Of
June the full account of his execution
was copied in the same paper from The
Southern Confcderacy Of June 8, 1862.
AS the end Of all her hopes had come Qess